Chronology of WW2

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Introduction

﻿Chronology of WW2 1939 * Hitler invades Poland on 1 September. Britain and France declare war on Germany two days later. Hitler was confident that Britain and France would not actually do anything to defend Poland and he was right. He also thought that he could get Britain and France to agree to a peace deal with him rather than continue the war. So he took no action against them. Although there was small scale and cautions fighting, this period from September 1939 to March 1940 is known as the ?Phoney War?. Hitler pioneers his new tactic of Blitzkrieg, or lighting war. This involved shock tactics and its aim was to paralyse the enemy by using up-to-date technology and high mobility. ...read more.

Middle

Hitler tricked the Allies that he was going through Belgium and even managed to get them to advance into Belgium. The Allied forces were surrounded and facing total defeat. However, Hitler, for a number of reasons, seemed to let them evacuate and the BEF escaped from Dunkirk. * Hitler invades France * British victory in Battle of Britain forces Hitler to postpone invasion plans. 1941 * Hitler begins Operation Barbarossa - the invasion of Russia. Hitler?s ultimate dream was to smash the USSR and carve out an empire for his master race of Germans. Three million German soldiers in 153 divisions poured across the frontier into the USSR. ...read more.

Conclusion

* Mass murder of Jewish people at Auschwitz begins. 1943 * Surrender at Stalingrad marks Germany's first major defeat. * Allied victory in North Africa enables invasion of Italy to be launched. * Italy surrenders, but Germany takes over the battle. * British and Indian forces fight Japanese in Burma. 1944 * Allies land at Anzio and bomb monastery at Monte Cassino. * Soviet offensive gathers pace in Eastern Europe. * D Day: The Allied invasion of France. Paris is liberated in August. * Guam liberated by the US Okinawa, and Iwo Jima bombed. 1945 * Auschwitz liberated by Soviet troops. * Russians reach Berlin: Hitler commits suicide and Germany surrenders on 7 May. * Truman becomes President of the US on Roosevelt's death, and Attlee replaces Churchill. * After atomic bombs are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrenders on 14 August. ...read more.

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